search engine

We already use Google for everything, so much so the word has become a verb (Google it!). Searching for a medical condition or some minor aches and pains often leads you down the wrong path (WebMD is evil sometimes). Now it looks like Google is priming another of their services, Helpouts, to aid you in your queries. Someone recently spotted a new option for speaking with a doctor when searching for “knee pain”, which offered up a video chat. Though not specifically mentioned, it has Helpouts written all over it.

Microsoft has rolled out updates to its Bing search engine on a fairly regular basis over the year, adding features like improved image search. As promised, it has introduced yet another improvement to the engine, this time catering to those who prefer belting out songs on karaoke night: lyrics. Calling it "a new Lyrics experience," Microsoft says the feature saves you time by bringing the lyrics you're looking for front and center on the search results page -- something that third-party lyrics websites might not be too fond of.

To further combat Google’s long-reach with regard to search, a collective of smaller entities have taken up arms against them. A new website, Focus on the User, has been launched to convince European lawmakers that Google isn’t playing fairly. Rather than foster a free and open Internet search engine, the site claims Google is using it to their advantage.

Today, Google issued an open response to an open attack laid down by News Corp. In an open letter to the European Commission, News Corp explained why they feel Google has too much power over the Internet as we see it. In their open rebuttal, Google explains all the ways that’s just plain wrong.

Here’s an interesting one: China is blocking DuckDuckGo. the very private search engine, and newly found option in iOS 8, is reportedly being blocked in China. In response to a Twitter question asking why a device with iOS 8 — and DuckDuckGo enabled — wouldn’t connect to the search engine, CEO Gabriel Weinberg acknowledged the Chinese stiff-arm.

While some welcome the European Union's ruling popularly known as the "right to be forgotten", with some even waiting for a similar implementation in the US, there is, unsurprisingly some dissenting voices even within the Union. A committee from the UK's House of Lords has called out the EU for its new policy, claiming that the Directive on which the ruling was based, as well as the EU Court's interpretation of that directive, is outdated.

Google search is often thought of as an even playing field where we can get the results we want. Over time, Google has begun leaning on their own services — and thus information. That’s not concerning to most users, but what about other services? Recently leaked internal documents at Yelp insist Google is toying with Search results regionally to deceive regulators and mislead users.

Privacy concerns, particularly following the Edward Snowden leaks in recent times, have spurred a push towards more privacy-centric digital options. Among search engines in particular, one known as DuckDuckGo has bid itself as a more secure option than Google and competing search engines, and it will soon receive a big boost from Apple.

Google was recently on the receiving end of consternation from home automation company Vivint, which earlier this year was delisted from Google Search results over violations of quality guidelines. The delisting lasted for four months, only recently coming to an end. In the process, speculation over Google's motives were raised.

Google’s “right to be forgotten” service is wildly popular. The Europe-only option, which comes after a judgement based on one person’s desire to have information about his stricken from Google’s search results, has drawn 12,000 requests. The tool has been available for less than one day.